Method of forming expanded-metal corner beads



Sept. 23 1924. 1,509,544

I L. EJCURTIS METHOD F FORMING EXPANDED METAL CORNER BEADS Filed Aug. 10. 1923.

L I f ,,iZ ZZ dill LEWTQ E. CURTIS, 0F WARREN, 01110, ASSIGNUR T0 THE YOUNGSTOWN FEED STEEL CQMPANY, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

application filed August in, 1923. Serial No. 656,889.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, Lewis. E. Courts, a

' citizen of the United States, residing at Warren, in the county of Trumbull and 5 State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Methods of Forming Expanded-Metal Corner Beads, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to the art of terrain articles of expanded metal and more particularly to the formation of corner beads having a beadlike center portion and angularly arranged sides of expanded metal. The invention will be fully understood from the following description, illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in which Figs. 1 and 2 are respectively broken plan and end views of a preliminarily grooved blank;

Fig. 3 is a broken plan view of a blank as shown in Figs. 1 and Q, after slitting;

Figs. d, 5, and 6 are diagrammatic views showing successive stages of the forming of the bead or head;

Fig. l is a diagrarntic view illustrating means for expanding the head; and

Figs. 8 and 9 are respectively broken end and side elevations of the expanded bead.

In can log out the present invention a blank of s eet metal ot strip or ribbon form is provided with a central raised portion or inverted groove 10, preferably flattened at the top although the formation of the central raised portion is not material. The portions oi? the blank on each side of the central. raised portion 10 are indicated by the numerals ii. The blank in this. stage is shown in plan in Fig". l and in end elevation in Fig. a

The blank is then provided with slits in its side portions ll, as shown in Fig. 3, the

slits 12 being preferably of the herringbonetype. The slitted blank is then placed upon or carried over a suitable lorinin die narrower than the internal width of t e groove 10, such a die being indicated in cross-section in it by numeral 13. While positioned on this die, another forming die having the section illustmted at it engages the upper surface of the sheet. The die 14 is preferably ltshaped in seetion, the space between the legs of the U being slightly wider than the outside width of the oove rnoves downwardly, the blank assumes the configuration shown in end elevation in Figure 5, the grooved portion 10 havin its lower angles 15 brought somewhat toget er, partially closing the space between them, while the sidesll are forced into a posititiln at substantially right angles with each ot er.

The partly formed blank is then passed" through forming dies by which the center head is given a substantiall circular crosssection-and a portion of t e metal (preferably unslitted) on each side of it is brought into substantial engagement in parallel planes for a short distance, the sides of the blank being held at substantially right angles to each other. Suitable dies for this purpose are illustrated in F lg. 6, in which two laterally arranged dies 16 and an upper die 17 cause the central portion of the blank, originally formed as a groove, to assume the desired form in section, as indicated at 18, the adjacent portions of the blank being forced flat against each other to term a stem in section as at 19 a die member 20 holds the sides in proper angular relation.

After the blank has been formed with the center circular bead and. stern, it is held in supporting dies 21, which engage the central portion of the partly termed head on each side to prevent distortion thereof, while the slitted side portions ll are expanded by any suitable gripping and expanding means 22. In Fig. 8 the corner head is illustrated in end elevation after it has been expanded. by the operation illustrated in Fig". '2', and in Fig. 9 it is shown in side elevation. The action of the gripping and expanding means 22 brings the expanded sides ll into their desired angular relationship, so that the resulting head has two expanded open mesh sidesdl meeting in a flattened stem portion 19 'rovided with a substantially eircular bea ortion 18.

T c has l. The method oi forming an expanded metal corner head, which comprises, in succession, forming a sheet with neutral groove, slitting the metal at the sides of said groove, partly closing the inner edges of said eentral groove, shaing the central groove portion and the ijacent uuslitted metal to form a substantially circular bead portion 10, and as it engages the blank and and a flattened stem portion, and expanding 1W the metal of the slitted sides in its proper angular relation.

2. The method of forming an expanded metal corner bead, which comprises suecessively forming a substantiall fiat sheet with a central groove, slitting t e metal at the sides of said groove, shaping the central groove portion and the adjacent unslitted metal to form a circular bead portion, and supporting the formed bead portion while expanding the metal of the slitted sides in their proper angular relation.

3. The method of, forming an expanded metal corner bead, which comprises suc cessively forming a substantially fiat sheet with a central groove, forming herringbone slits on each side of said groove and spaced therefrom, shaping the central groove portion and adjacent unslitted metal to form a bead or head and a flattened stem portion, and expanding the metal of the slitted sides in its proper angular relation.

LEWIS E. CURTIS. 

